Reuters first reported on the new security assistance package. If approved, the addition of about $ 700 million in security assistance would bring total aid to Ukraine to more than $ 3 billion since the beginning of the Biden administration, including nearly $ 2.5 billion since Russia launched the invasion. in Ukraine. Ukraine’s defense budget for 2020 was only about $ 6 billion, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. In less than two months, the United States provided nearly half of that assistance, underscoring the pace at which the White House was working on arms and equipment shipments. US missions on a $ 800 million security aid package approved in mid-March are likely to be completed by mid-April, a senior defense official said on Tuesday. And a $ 100 million package of Javelin anti-tank systems approved in early April is likely to be completed very soon, the official added. These packages came from Ministry of Defense catalogs, making it relatively easy and fast to transport weapons and systems to Ukraine. On April 1, the White House also approved a separate $ 300 million security assistance to Ukraine, but this package will take longer, as it must first be procured by defense contractors.
The Pentagon will meet with arms manufacturers
The new dose for Ukraine comes as the Pentagon is due to convene a meeting with top arms makers on Wednesday to discuss the industry’s ability to support Ukraine in a protracted war with Russia, according to a defense official and a industry official. . The secret discussion will include proposals to speed up the production of existing systems and to develop new systems critical to the Ministry of Defense’s assistance to Ukraine and its allies, the defense official said. The meeting will bring together the top eight defense contractors, such as General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and others. “It is part of our ongoing, frequent dialogue with industry partners to ensure a robust industrial base that meets the needs of the Ministry,” the official said. The meeting between the defense contractors and the Pentagon took place just a few days ago, according to the defense industry official with immediate knowledge of the regulations. The official said contractors had been informed that the focus of the meeting was “industry capacity” to support Ukraine if the war continued for several years. The point, the official said, is that the United States “assumes that this will be a multi-year effort” in a scenario where, at least, Ukraine will not be able to build weapons safely in its own country. However, at the meeting, the official said, contractors are likely to point out the serious challenges still facing the US defense industry, including ongoing and serious supply chain problems and a lack of an affordable workforce. All of this continues to limit defense production capacity and could worsen as Ukraine’s increased defense spending and contracts compete for construction capacity, the official said. The issue of capacity also affects the construction of critical ammunition supplies, although most is done in government facilities run by contractors. This story has been updated with additional details. CNN’s Jeremy Herb and Barbara Starr contributed to this report.
